Why the Gospel is Greater than Miracles
Good Morning. Our lesson this morning, Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, comes in response to the Pharisees having come once again to argue with Jesus. That’s a big point to the parable, the whole idea that we so much want to try to justify ourselves before God. People come looking to God, not to find answers, but a loophole to explain why what they do is ok.
Many Bible critics spend so much time trying to read the Bible to try to find out of context quotes to justify their opposition to the God of the Bible.
Isn’t it easier to say, “I just don’t care?” You know how much time I spend disproving Flat Earthers? None. But it’s because of what Pascal describes as a God shaped hole in our hearts, we can’t let it go, and neither could the Pharisees.
Jesus tells this parable as a warning to the Pharisees, but to all of us as well. Luke tells us many of the Pharisees were lovers of money right before this parable. Like the TV preacher types today, many believed that if you were blessed materially in this world, God must be pleased with you.
That’s why it’s so nice the lectionary pairs this lesson with Psalm 73. Psalm 73 is a confession made by a song writer named Asaph frustrated with God for allowing sinful men to seemingly prosper in this world.
They mock and say evil things; they threaten violence. They speak as if they rule in heaven. They have more than enough food to eat and say, “How does God know what we do? Then Asaph thinks, Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle. He says he couldn’t make sense of it.
God's goodness is sometimes hard to remember during trials, when people we love struggle, and evil people seem to never to have a care in the world.
(Nothing New? 3000 years old) When did it turn around for Asaph? When he went into the house of God and saw things from God's perspective. The cares of God’s people will all end one day, we will WANT nothing.
In our Gospel lesson, the parable begins with a rich man, and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man is intended to represent the Pharisees, spiritually. Pharisees were rich in a number of ways. They basically ran the government, and lived on Government/Temple Jobs. So, they were big on raising taxes.
Then there was Lazarus. He was as a beggar covered with sores, who sat at the rich man’s gate and fed on the crumbs that fell from his table. Lazarus represents people who don’t have the opportunity to hear much of God’s Word, but when they can, they consume every crumb. The Spiritually Poor were supposed to be fed by those who God had blessed with the riches of the Scriptures, but the Rich kept their riches to themselves.
So, both men died, the Rich man going to the place of eternal torment, and Lazarus going to sit in the bosom of Abraham. Before we continue, this is a Parable about Trusting God’s Word, and following it, sharing God’s Word. Jesus doesn’t intend it as an accurate description of the afterlife.
For the purposes of the story, the Rich Man is able to talk to Abraham, and so he calls out to him, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. Woah! The Rich Man knows Lazarus by name. All that time he spent outside his gate, eating scraps, the rich man, who had more than enough to live on,
1. The Rich man knew his name, how he lived, and couldn’t care enough to bind his wounds, or even feed him a meal every once in a while,
2. The Rich man still sees Lazarus as a servant. He never talks to Lazarus because Lazarus is beneath him, he talks to Abraham.
Abraham responded, saying
‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able,
After Abraham refuses his request, the Rich Man suddenly, considering his situation, turns evangelist on us. He begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers, the other Pharisees, who should have known better, to warn them so they would not end up in torment with him. “Certainly,” he tells Father Abraham, “If someone were to raise up from the dead, they would repent.”
And here, Abraham responds in an amazing way
“If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, (OT) neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”
I think, at first hearing this, this comment sounds wrong. Obviously, since Jesus said it, it must be true, but we kind of want to argue this point.
And that is partly our frustration from trying to convince others, and ourselves, of our faith. Which do you instinctively think carries more weight?
1. An incredible firsthand Christmas Carol experience where we see Bob Cratchit rise from the dead, attest about God, and his wonderful future for us versus a future of torment based on our rejection of Him?
2. or listening to God’s Word read and preached?
My opinion is that most people would be more convinced by the first than the second. We crave the dramatic, the “unbelievable”, the miraculous. Signs from Heaven. That would get people to believe! It sure takes the burden off of us.
Jesus point “It is the openness of our hearts to God’s Word and not miracles that matters.” All we must do is look at the poor man in the parable.
Especially in parables, pay careful attention to every word Jesus uses.
Parables are fables, they’re not historical events, and it’s good to notice little things, such as using the name Lazarus. He could pick any name he wanted, he could have picked Gabriel. But he picked Lazarus. There’s no other character in any parable that has a name. Prodigal Son=Prodigal Son. Dad? What’s significant about the name Lazarus? It’s the name of the man Jesus raised from the dead.
Lazarus was raised from the dead, in front of many people, people who smelled and reported his decay from death, and yet the Pharisees, the men who were “Rich” in God’s Word, would not believe. In fact, John 12 tells us the Sanhedrin planned to kill Lazarus, as he seemed to prove Jesus power.
It’s a neat connection. The rich man begs, “send Lazarus,” Abraham says, much to MY confusion, they won’t believe him. Lazarus is raised from the dead, as a witness to Jesus, and they try to send him right back to Abraham’s Bosom.
Miracles can be explained away. Unbelievers make careers out of it. It takes faith to accept and follow Jesus. No matter how eloquent or amazing I ever preach, I can’t change hearts. But God does. It’s God’s persuasiveness, His Holy Spirit, that brings people to their senses.
Our job is to share the gospel, Our Great Commission from Jesus. God raises the spiritually dead to life, drawing sinners to the Cross. We’re simply His messengers, telling others where we found forgiveness. On hearing Jesus commission today, let us pray that we may be faithful in sharing His Good News, trusting God to use His Word do the work He sends it to do.
